Collapsible crate for caskets.



J. H. WUNDERLICH.

COLLAPSIBLE CRATE FOR GASKETS.

APPLICATION FILED 0121121. 1914.

1,169,100. Patented 32111.18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IHIIIHIIHI wwmwfiygw/a 27%;; JAM/W Gav/wage THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co,WASHINGTON, D c.

J. H WUNDERLICH.

COLLAPSIBLE CRATE FOR GASKETS.

APPLICATION man 00121. 1914.

1,169,100. I Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH :0" WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB H. WUNDERLICH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL CASKETCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COLLAPSIBLE CRATE FOR GASKETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB H. \VUNDER- LICH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Crates for Caskets,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved construction of collapsible crateand has particular reference to a crate in which caskets or coflins maybe packed for shipment and transportation.

Manufacturers of caskets having numerous sales and supply brancheslocated at cities distant from the factory have experi encedconsiderable annoyance and expense in shipping caskets from the factoryto the sales and supply branches. It has been the custom to pack eachcasket in a wood box of sufiicient size to entirely inclose it, andthese boxes after reaching their destination, are opened, and thecaskets removed, and the empty inclosing boxes stored or piled one uponanother awaiting their return, in an empty condition, to the factory.The large size of these empty boxes cause considerable annoyance in thestorage space required and the size and weight are the source ofconsiderable expense to effect their return shipment as empties.

The present invention therefore has for its object to provide animproved construction of collapsible crate, particularly designed forthe shipment of caskets, which shall be of less weight than a completeshipping box; that will be rigidly braced and held while in extendedor'in a collapsed condition; that will afiiord ample protection to thecasket against dust, dirt and moisture and which, when empty, may becollapsed so as to occupy a minimum space during storage or shipment asempties.

With these .and other objects in View, the invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings wherein,

Figure 1, shows the improved crate extended and in side elevation. Fig.2, illustrates one end of the cover in top plan. Fig. 3, shows an end ofthe cover in bottom or inverted plan. Fig. 4, illustrates the extendedcrate in vertical longitudinal section, the section being taken on theline of Fig. '5. Fig. 5, shows the 1ended icmtean and 5;,-

vertical cross-sectional detail through the crate at one end,the sectionbeing taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7, shows the crate in sideelevation and in a collapsed condition. Fig. 8, illustrates the same invertical longitudinal section. Fig. 9, shows an enlarged detail of afragment of the cover and side of the collapsed crate partly in sideelevation and partly in section, and ig. 10, illustrates an enlargedfragmentary detail of one of the brace blocks and brace bars ontheinterior of the crate.

The crate comprises a bottom section 11, a top section 12; a flexiblewall 18, connected to the top section andextending into the bottomsection and a cover 14 normally resting on the top section.

The bottom section is preferably made in askeleton form, for the purposeof reducing weight, and in the present instance consists of twolongitudinal bars 15, which are rigidly connected by a plurality ofspacedapart cross-bars 16 and extend from one end of the crate to theopposite end. These cross-bars have their ends resting on top of thelongitudinal bars so that the lower sides or surfaces of the cross-barswill have position in a plane above the bottom surface of thelongitudinal bars, thereby enabling said longitudinal bars to serve as askid on which the crate may rest and be pushed endwise along a floor orover the sill of a car door or onto a truck or wagon Without damage tothe cross-bars.

A rectangular frame is rigidly attached to and extends vertically abovethe cross-bars and said frame has two edge-wise placed side bars 17, andtwo edge-wise placed end-bars 18, that connect the side bars.

It will thus be understood that the bottomsection includes therectangular frame; the cross-bars and the longitudinal skid bars, allrigidly connected together. The top section 12, is the part that is freeto be moved upward or downward relative to the stationary bottom section11. The top section of the crate also has the form of a rectangularframe in that it has two vertical edge-wise side bars 19, that arerigidly connected at laiiglih a, brace block 23, at'eachiend thereof andinside of the bottom'section and rest uponthe cross-bars 16, when thecrate is in the 4 edge.- When in thevertical sustaining posi tion, asshown in Fig. 1,the-notches 28, ofa the standardbars 'eachengagea headedmember 30, that is carried on the side b'ar19,

notches and headed; members will 'toni'section."

A wall of fiexible'ma'terial 13,*ha's -its upper'edge secured around theinside of the top section and'extends down into the bot tomv section:and isspread horizontally over the cross-'bars'16, so as -t-oform abottomcow fit down and {rest uponzgthe bottoiii fsectiori,

when in a'collap's'ed'condition andbe flush ering as well as a flexible;vertical side-wall which latter is secured to the inside ofr the 4 and8, of the drawings. a

Each side bar 19, of the top section has on its inner side, and eachbrace block is provided withan end notch24. When the top section-12, ofthe crate is raised with respect to' the bottom section, the freeends ofthe brace bars r ',21,-may be swungwupwardly and seated in thenotches'24of the brace blocks, as clearly shown in Figs-4 and 10, of the drawings,so that said brace bars will not only aid in sustaining the top} sectioninjan elevated position, butwill also brace said top sectionagainst-lateral, or

lengthwise movements with respect to the 1 bottom section.-

The length of-the bracebars is such that they [may be swung downcollapsedcondition," as shown in Fig. 8, of

the drawings. The'lower section 11, of the crate also carriesfourstandard bars 25,-- one at each corner of the crate. -The'se barseach have one endpivoted at 26, tothe outer side-of' a side bar: 17,-'-the' pivot pointsbeing adjacent the endsofsaid'side bars,- so thatthe free ends'27, of the standard barsv '-may be swung up at the outersideof the sidebars -19, of the top frame. Eachfstand ard bar 25,- inthe present instance has a notch 28, at one vertical side edge and alsohas a notch 29, atthe other vertical side but when the crate sectionsarev collapsed I; and P925, re: lowered, each'enotch*29a will engage aheade'd' member 31, i th t are I alsocarried on the'si'de bar 19, of'thetop section frame, as shown in; Figs: and 9,

of the drawings. -"The 'purpo'se-jof these be "explained.

the bottom section has a plurality rof vertically projectin'gpins 32,extending upwardly on the inside and also outside with saidbo'tfromits'upper edgeand'that bar 19, of the top sectionisp'rovidedwithrecesses. or

sockets 39sec Fig;-1, whichreceive the'pins -ba1-,'= it'being desirableto have pinson one bar-.toengagerecesses on the other bar to lock thetwo frames together against lateral movement when said fram es -arecollaps'ed,

as-in Fig. 7 .'.:,The cover l4= which rests on the'topsection 12, of thecrate also has two side bars 33, two end bars 34, that connect crossbars. 35, that also connect the sidebars and whose uppersurfaces areflush with the.

upper edges of the sidebars and two spaced longitudinal bars 36, thatextend lengthwise and directly beneath the cross-bars. Thesevlongitudinal bars 36, have position in a hori-v zontal plane above thelower, edges'ofthe'. side and end bars of the cover, so that when thecover-is seated "ontop ofthe movable seats'on thetopsection the upperfreev ends 27, of the standard bars 25, will project into saidnotches-37, and be locked against dis- .engagement from the headedmembers 30.

It will thus be seen that 'when the top section "of the. crateciselevated, the brace bars 21-, by engaging the' notches 24, in the blocks23, both of whichare onthe interior,v will lock the-- two sectionsagainst lateral and underside of the cover to engage the inner .1 15

side ofthe-top frame andthereby aid in holding the cover rigidlyinplace. By referring to Figs,- 3 and 9 of the.

drawings it will be notedthat the sidebars '33',-of,the cover are alsoprovided at their 120 inner surface with inclined 1 notches 40, whichlatter, when the'crate is collapsed receive the free ends of thestandard bars 25, as ishown in Fig. 9,1andthereby: hold the notches 29,of saidtwo bars in engagement 123 with the headed members" 31. I Thusthe standard bars 25, secure the top and bottom seetions-together.- Aflexible covering 41,:is provided on the coverat the under side'of crossbais 35g to keep out-dust and=moisture 1 0 70 32, whenthe two sectionsarefcollapsed.

the side bars; a plurality of spaced-apart crate sectionithese bars36,'will rest upon' 3:

longitudinal displacementwhile the stand-j -51 ard bars'25, on theexterior will serve mainly tosustain the-weight of the. top section anda When the crate is in use suitable bolts 42, serve to hold the cover onthe movable section.

From the foregoing explanation it will be understood that to collapsethe crate. presuming it to be in the extended condition shown in Figs. 1and 4, the cover section 14, will be removed so as to disengage the bars25, and also to permit access to the brace bars 21, on the interior. Thebrace bars will then be released from the brace blocks and swung downinto the bottom section. The standard bars 25, will then be releasedfrom headed members 30 and turned downward, thereby allowing the movablesection to be lowered. During the lowering, the flexible wall 13, willbe tucked inwardly and the top section will then be lowered onto thebottom section. As the two sections come together the pins 32, on theone section will enter the recesses 39, of the other section so as tobring the vertical outer and inner surfaces of the two sections flushwith each other, and also to aid in locking the sections against lateraldisplacement. lVhen the two sections are close together, the

bars 25, will be swung over to engage thenotches 29, with headed members31, which will further lock the two sections together. The cover sectionwill then be placed on the movable section and the free ends 27, of thebars 25, will enter the edge notches 40, in the side bars 33 of thecover so as to bind said bars and protect them against side blows duringshipment. Bolts 42, will then secure the cover section on top of themovable section and the crate will then have a knockdown condition andoccupy a minimum space and at the same time will be rigidly securedtogether for shipment.

Having described my invention what I claim is,

1. A collapsible crate having in combination, a bottom section providedwith a rectangular frame; standard bars each having one end pivoted tothe outer side of said bottom-section frame so as to swing up to avertical position and each standard provided at its free end with a sidenotch 28; a top section provided at its side and near its end withprojecting pins 30, which engage said side notches on the standard barsto sustain said top section; two brace bars 21, each of which has oneend pivoted to the inner side of said bottom-section frame and the freeends of said two braces adapted to swing upwardly to oppositely-inclinedpositions and said free ends engaging the said top section when thecrate is expanded.

2. A collapsible crate having in combination, a bottom section providedwith a rectangular frame; standard bars 25, having one end pivoted tothe outer side of said bottonrsection frame so as to swing to either avertical or an inclined position, and each standard provided near itsfree end with two side notches one 28, being in one edge and the other29, in the opposite edge; a top section provided on its outer side neareach end with a projecting pin 80, for the engagement of one notch onsaid standard when the latter is swung to a vertical position to sustainsaid top section, and said top section also provided intermediate itsends with additional projecting pins 81, for the engagement of the othernotch on the standard when the latter is swung to an inclined positionto secure the top and bottom sec tions together when the crate parts arein collapsed position.

3. A collapsible crate having in combination, a bottom section providedwith a rectangular frame; standard bars each having one end pivoted tothe outer side of said bottom-section frame so as to swing up to avertical position and each standard bar provided at its free end with a.side notch 28 below its upper free extremity 27 a top section providedat its side and near its ends with projecting pins 30, which engage saidside notches on the standard bars and sustain said top section when thelatter is raised; means connecting between the bottom section and topsection when the crate is expanded to secure longitudinal rigiditybetween the two sections; and a cover resting on the top section andhaving downprojecting side bars provided on their inner lower edge withnotches 37, which when the crate is expanded receive the said upper freeextremities of said pivoted standards, whereby said cover prevents thestandard-notches disengaging from said pins on the top section.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB H. WUNDERLICH. Witnesses CHAS. B. MANN, BERTHA K. WALTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

